CHESTER, Pa. — Andre Blake’s thoughts started to drift. There were still 10 minutes to go in the Leagues Cup quarterfinal, but with the score level at 1-1, the Philadelphia Union goalkeeper knew another shootout was on the horizon.
“Once it gets to the 80th minute, it starts to creep in the back of your head, but you also have to stay in the moment,” Blake said after the match. “There’s still a lot of time that something could happen. You start to mentally prepare yourself for the moment, just try to find your focus, disrupt the kickers’ flow and hopefully you can make a save or two.”
That’s exactly what Blake did, denying Mazatlan attacker Josué Colmán and midfielder Alan Torres in a penalty shootout to lift the Union to a 4-3 penalty shootout victory after a 1-1 draw in regulation.
It’s the second straight year the Union have reached the Leagues Cup semifinals, the only team to make back-to-back appearances. Last year, it was no surprise to see the Union earn a Concacaf Champions Cup spot via Leagues Cup.
The Union were flying in the summer and ended up taking the fourth spot in the Eastern Conference. This season, it’s been a bit more of a struggle. The club currently sits in 10th in the East with 27 points from 25 matches.
Even so, Leagues Cup has seen Philly settle into what looks like a familiar routine: “Survive and advance,” as both Blake and Union head coach Jim Curtin said after the match.
Or, rather, do whatever is necessary to control the match as much as possible and grind out a win in order to move on. That included convincing knockout round wins to reach this stage, topping Montreal 2-0 and FC Cincinnati 4-2.
“You saw us beat a really, really good Cincinnati team on the road,” Curtin said. “It’s a good reminder that we’ve had a tough year. We’re not happy with where we are in the table. But, on our day, when our guys are up for it, we can beat anybody.”
Getting past Mazatlán on Saturday wasn’t so simple. A pair of yellow cards saw Tai Baribo head to the exits early, and the Union played down a man for 45 minutes.
Rather than impede the Union, the sending-off of the current Leagues Cup leading scorer seemed to shake the team. Mikael Uhre scored a tremendous goal from a tight angle just before the halftime break, moments after the red card was shown. Still, Mazatlán looked to take advantage of being up a man and equalized in the 59th minute through Jesus Escoboza, who headed in a cross from teenage rising star Ramiro Arciga.
That set up the shootout that Blake was looking forward to. The Jamaica No. 1 made his stops, and four of five Union players converted to set up a semifinal showdown with the Columbus Crew. For the coach, it showed the nerves of steel built into his team and the desire to win his players still have in the midst of a long season.
“I don’t want to oversimplify the sport of soccer, but we have guys who have guts. We have guys that are really brave and have been through games like this,” Curtin said.
Even as it pushes for a Leagues Cup title, the Union continues to remake itself. Prior to Saturday night’s contest, Venezuelan midfielder Jose Martinez hit the oversized bass drum to lead the fans in a chant, what appeared to be his final goodbye before joining Brazilian giants Corinthians.
Instead, there was one more moment of sorcery still for “El Brujo”. He checked into the match in stoppage time in order to play a final few moments and convert a thunderous penalty in the shootout.
After the match, Curtin said that Martinez had pushed to make the cameo and share one last moment with the Sons of Ben and other supporters at Subaru Park.
“Every guy contributes and doesn’t want to let the other guy down, which is a powerful thing,” Curtin said.
It’s also a necessary one. The Unoin are without forward Julian Carranza, who decamped this summer to join Feyenoord, and now bid farewell to Martinez. On Wednesday, Philly will miss Baribo because of suspension. But the Union will look to other players to fill those voids. Typically that has meant a young player from the club’s respected academy getting an opportunity to earn minutes, especially since they know the philosophy Curtin and the club espouse.
“We’re built to survive and advance,” Blake said. “When we stick to our principles and the way we play, we can be really hard to play against. We have a group of guys who are fighters. They don’t give up. We grind.
“It’s not always pretty, but that’s how we’re built. To fight. To scrap. We believe in that with everything we have. Week in, week out when we go to training and we’ve been able to reap success.”
For a second year in a row, that success is Philly in the semifinals of this tournament and one victory away from the Concacaf Champions Cup - with Leagues Cup this season providing the best path for Curtin’s squad to get to the international tournament.
Just like Blake as the clock ticks toward the penalty shootout, the Union are trying to focus on the here and now but know the moment to shine could still be just around the corner.
